Fresno State makes a major athletics upgrade as conference realignment talk swirls
Fresno State unveiled plans on Thursday to transform a prime space in the North Gym into a weight training facility for its basketball, volleyball and other Olympic sports programs, and though the timing is purely coincidental it is a critical facilities upgrade at a time conference realignment again is shaking the landscape of college athletics.
The project, in the works for months and paid for through private donations, will benefit every sports program on campus, alleviating pressure on the weight room in the Ricchiuti Academic, Strength & Conditioning Center in the Student-Athlete Village on the west side of Cedar Avenue.
That facility currently serves all 18 Bulldogs sports programs, most of which operate on the east side of Cedar Avenue out of the North Gym or the Physical Therapy and Sports Administration Building.
“I’m excited to see the finished product and just being able to have a facility right near where we practice, which will be really nice,” volleyball coach Abbie Wright said. “I think it’s a huge recruiting tool, being able to show student-athletes in the day to day what they’re going to be experiencing. It’s huge, for any program.”
It also is the type of upgrade that Fresno State has lacked as it fell behind Mountain West Conference rivals in the college athletics facilities race and as a prospect for inclusion in a Power Five conference.
“That’s our community coming together and forging forward to provide resources for our student-athletes,” athletics director Terry Tumey said. “Those student-athletes on the east side of Cedar Ave will now have a weight room facility and a training facility that will not only facilitate their growth in their sport, but will also make their experience better. It will be more time-efficient. There are more resources dedicated to that.
“This is an asset that is going to have multiple positive effects. It’s a big deal, and I’m so thankful for our community members who believe in us and our athletes to invest in us this way.”
Major donors behind weight facility join new Champions Circle
But with university president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval pushing athletics initiatives, Fresno State and the Bulldog Foundation on Tuesday launched the Marvin & Tish Meyers Champions Circle for donors of major gifts of $25,000 or more over a five-year period and on Thursday unveiled plans for the second weight training facility.
Chris and Michelle Morse and Ken and Kristi Wittwer provided a $500,000 gift for naming rights to the new weight training facility, and are recognized as the first members of the Meyers Champions Circle. The new facility will be named the Morse Wittwer Sports Performance Center.
A naming rights deal to brand Valley Children’s Stadium was approved on Wednesday by the California State University board of trustees.
The new 6,000-square-foot space is on the south side of the North Gym with floor to ceiling windows looking out on a walkway that cuts across the middle of campus. When the facility opens for the fall semester, it will include state-of-the-art equipment including iPads at each rack with the latest sport science technology to track performance. There will be a large turf area for plyometric exercises, six half racks and six double-sided racks.
The location and more centralized facilities are a major benefit for student-athletes and coaches that traverse campus every day.
The Bulldogs’ basketball and volleyball programs play games or matches at the Save Mart Center and will practice there when it is available, but all three programs also use the North Gym. When at the Save Mart Center they must go across campus for treatment or weight training sessions at the Ricchiuti center or the adjacent Meyers Family Sports Medicine Center.
“The great news is some of our student-athletes won’t have to go all the way across campus to the football area,” men’s basketball coach Justin Hutson said. “It’s closer to Save Mart. It’s also great that now there’s enough room for everybody and it helps with scheduling and accessibility. It gives student-athletes and coaches more flexibility.”
While using both the North Gym and the Save Mart Center, the basketball and volleyball programs will have a gym, locker room, training room and now weight room under one roof, which has not always been the case.
“It’s all about investment, and it’s not a one-time thing,” Tumey said. “It’s a continuous effort. You’re going to continuously look to improve, just to stay competitive. It’s a big deal.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 10:53 AM.